Valence-bond charge-transfer solvation model for nonlinear optical properties of organic molecules in polar solvents

Abstract

A simple model is developed for predicting solvation effects on the nonlinear optical properties of charge transfer organic materials such as 1,1 dicyano,6-(di-butyl amine) hexatriene. This model is based on the valence-bond charge-transfer (VB-CT) framework, using a continuum description of the solvent. The resulting VB-CT solvation model leads to analytic formulas for the absorption frequency (Eg), the polarizability (α), the hyperpolarizabilities (β,γ,δ), and the bond length alternation with only one solvent dependent parameter (ε, the dielectric constant of the solution). The theory involves just four solvent-independent parameters, V0, t, SF, and Q which are related to the band gap, bandwidth, geometry, and dipole moment of the CT molecule [plus a length (R DA) and force constant (k) derivable from standard force fields]. The results are in good agreement with experiment. © 1994 American Institute of Physics.